Improvement in ruffling-attachment for sewing-machines



W. W. LOWERREE.

Rufing Gage.

. No. 89,415. Y Paugmed April 27, 1869.

WILLIAM W. LOWERREE,

or ALBANY, NEW YORK'.

Letters Patent IVO. 89,415, dated April 27, 1869.

IMPROVEMENT IN RUTFLING-ATTACHMENT FOR SEWING-MACHINES.

The Schedule referred to in these Letten Patent and making part of the same.

To all whom it 'may concern.-

Be it known that I,WILLIAM W. Lownnnnn, of Albany, in the county of Albany, and State of New York, have invented a certain new and useful Attachment to Sewing-Machines, calleda Rufliing-Gauge; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable others skilled in the art to make and use the same, reference being had tothe accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective View of my invention, as attached to a Florence sewing-machine.

Figure 2 is a front or longitudinal elevation.

Figine 3 is a view of the lever-end of my invention.

. Figure 4 is -a view of theouter end ofthe same.

Figure 5 is. an end elevation, showing the-relative positions of the principal parts of my invention, as also the position of the twov pieces of musln, or other goods or fabric, while being ruffled and sewed on.

Similar letters of reference indicate like parts in all the figures.

The principal object of my invention is to provide an attachment for sewing-machines, by 'means of which rufding'may be done with greater i'acility than at 'present, and in a manner always to be relied on.

This object I accomplish by constructing a suitable gauge, provided with tensionrollers and springs, and -a separating-plate and lever, and ratchet and pawl, as will be hereinafter more fully described.

The back part of the gauge is made similar to the common and well-known gauges, used on sewing-machines generally, as shown at W in iig. 2, and is also fastened to the cloth-plate M, by means of thumbscrew h, inthe usual and/well-known manner.

The front -part of the gauge is a suitable frame for carrying two small tension-rollers, A and B, side by side, as shown in figs. 1 and.

The' rst -roller A has a screw-head on-its cuter end,

for inserting a screw-driver, for the purpose of revolving the saine, when entering the upper strip of cloth, which passes over roller A, then between rollers A and B, and under roller B, and separating and tension-plate H, as shown in iig. 5, in which K designates the up-` per, and L, the lower strip of cloth. Tensionroller A carries a ratchet, D, of twenty- \s`e`ven teeth, or of any other number of teeth desired.

The above-named numberI find suiiicient for allI ordinary purposes. y

Said ratchet D is on the inner end of roller A, and on the outside. of the roller-flame,asshown in fig. 2.

On the inside of the roller-frame, vand-cn that end next thc ratchet D, is 'a small toothed wheel, a, which meshes into a similar. wheel on-the same end of roller B, and which revolves said roller D.

v The outer ends of rollers A and B are so hung in the vroller-frame, as to admita piece of cloth to be passed between them, 'from the end, as shown in figs. 1 and 4. l Roller A is pressed against roller B, by a flat spring, J, fastened,`at its centre, in a stud, g, its two ends pressing against side-caps on the ends of said roller A,

as may be seen in figs. 1, 2, and 4.

Roller B may be suspended on screw-centres, as shown, on its outerend, in iig. 1.

H, in figs. 4 and 5, designates a metallic plate, fastened, at one end, to the lower part of the gauge, at its inner end, as .shown in iig. 4. Said plate H need not be more than one-half an inch wide, and of a length sufficient to reach nearly to the presser-foot of the machine.

w, in iigs. 3 and 4, designates a stud, at the bottom 'of which is a wire, shown in fig. 4, by which pressure may be applied to the top of plate H, to increase the tension of the same upon the lower strip of cloth, so as to insure uniformity in the gathers taken up by the machine.

The front part of the gauge has a small space, S S, under it, to permit the lower cloth topass freely.

C designates a bent lever, the lower end of which drives the roller A, by means of ratchet D and pawl E, in the well-known manner.

rJ'lhe upper end of said lever O is so adjusted, by means of set-screw j, as to be operated upon by the needle-bar P, when descending, as shown in Iig. 1.

Lever O is carried upward by a bent 'wire spring, d, as shown in figs. 3 and 4. r

It will be seen from the above description, that the lengt-h' of the stitch will be regulated by the tensionrollers Aand B, operated by means of lever O, and

that the size of the gathers will depend upon the lower or regular machine-feed.

My improved gauge may be adjusted in its place, as shown in iig. 1, in a moment, and the lever O passes behind the presser-foot arm of the machine, the whole being secured to the cloth-plate M, by means of thumb- A small guard-plate, b, may be secured over the driving or connecting gear-wheel on roller A,f to prevent the upper strip of cloth from getting between the teeth.

It will readily be seen that, by means of this gauge, a certain and uniform feed ofthe upper strip of cloth, as well as of the lower one, will be given, thus insuring a regular and beautiful rutliing, and this without the aid of'a skilful and experienced operator.

Having thus described my invention, andv its mode of operation,

What I `desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1 The tension-rollers-A and B, and spring J, in combination with lever O and ratchet D, and pawl E, when combined and operated by the' needle-bar of a sewing-machine, substantially as and for the purpose herein shown and described.

2.' The separating-plate H, and tension-wire G, or their equivalents, in combination with rollers A and B, substantially as and for the purpose herein shown and described.

WILLIAM W. LOWERREE. Witnesses: H. L. WASHBURN, Jr.,

Tnos. HoUeHroN. 

